


Radiation burns

by MegpoidGumiBear



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Exploration, F/M, Mental Abuse, Minor Character Deaths, Physical Abuse, Smut, Violence, experimentations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2018-11-28 14:53:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11420313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegpoidGumiBear/pseuds/MegpoidGumiBear
Summary: Maggie was one of the children chosen for Vault 75, a Vault dedicated to the younger generation, in hopes of saving the ones most likely to survive the nuclear war. Unfortunately, Vault-Tec had another motive to taking in the children. It never was certain what that motive was, but poor little Margaret Winston found herself to be one of their prized experiments. An accident in the Vault causes her to have to be cryogenically frozen for proper healing, and a few too many years pass before she is set free.She finds herself running with the Gunners eventually, alongside everyone’s favorite merc; MacCready. Meeting Nora, the woman out for the Institute's blood, is a surprise.





	1. Prologue | The fallen (bombs)

Margaret Winston, a lovely young girl of only 6 years. Her mother and father, along with her older brother, Marcus, made up her small family. She had only one friend, as she was confident and stubbornly independent. She often refused to let Marcus push her on the swings because she was determined she could go higher on her own. Despite all this, she was still a kind young girl, and loved helping anyone in need.   
Malden middle school was where she received her education, and enjoyed most classes. Excluding math, of course. Her teachers were quite overjoyed to have her in their classes, although she proved to be difficult when she got something wrong and refused to admit it. Perhaps that was just the egocentrism of a child.   
You could continue hearing all about her thrilling life as a 6 year old in beautiful Boston, or, you could read what you’re really here for; her story. Her woe-filled, dramatic, incredibly traumatic story. A tale of how she defeated many enemies, and was even defeated by some enemies. This, is Margaret Winston’s story.  
Our tale begins on October 23rd of 2077. Margaret was seated on the loveseat with her brother, reading a book together, although Marcus was struggling to keep the book in his hands, as his sister was currently pulling it away, wanting to read on her own. “Awe, c’mon Mags, we’ll never finish if you keep snatching it away!” He groaned, pulling her into his lap in order to bring the book closer.  
“I can read too!” She exclaimed in disdain, a small frown adorning her chubby cheeks.   
“I know, but it’s my turn to read today. Tomorrow is your turn.” The teen tried to explain, but his sister wasn’t having it.  
“Tomorrow we’re going with my friend David to the park.” She argued, furrowing her eyebrows.   
“Oh, right.” He said, having forgot all about it.   
Luckily, he was saved by the bell, er, his father. John Winston stepped into the living room, throwing his hat to the coat rack, saying, “Now, children, don’t all run at once to greet your father from work!”   
Margaret quickly leapt from the couch, tossing the book behind her as she ran to hug her father, jumping into his open arms with enthusiasm. “Daddy!” She cried.   
Barbara Winston appeared then, from the kitchen, where she had been preparing a meal for the family. “Ah, just in time, dear.”   
The group seated themselves to the table, and conversed happily, Barbara handing out the food until the phone rang. John excused himself and got up, putting the phone to his ear. An expression of shock suddenly appeared on his face and he dropped the phone, looking to his wife in horror. “Honey, we have to go. Right now.” Perhaps it was the look in his eyes, but nothing else needed to be said.   
Barbara ushered her children out to the car, stopping for a moment to watching the chaos erupting. People were screaming, running, there was even some in their own cars. Then, she slid into the passenger seat and John pulled out just in time to miss the surge of traffic. They made it to Margaret’s school quickly, and the little girl wondered what was going on. Why were they here? Why was mommy crying? Why was Marcus pushing her into the building?   
Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of her friend, David, and his brother, running into another room. She tried to go the same way, to ask David what was happening, but Marcus just pushed her along. Frustrated, she huffed and a few tears leaked down her face. Amidst all the commotion, her brother asked her what was wrong and she pointed to where David and Michael had gone, muttering, “David just went the wrong way!”   
Marcus quickly shoved his sister into his mother’s arms and ran the other way, going in search of the two boys, hoping to catch them in time. Barbara was confused, and tried to go after her son, but John ushered her into the vault. The door closed behind them; they were the last ones in.


	2. Chapter one | Mercs with mouths

The VIP section of the Third Rail was dingy and dirty, but it suited MacCready and Mags just fine. They both lounged on some of the deteriorating furniture. It was most likely pre-war, Maggie noted as she slouched even further into the couch. Her eyes closed, and for a moment, the blinking fluorescent lights above resembled the lights inside the vault behind her eyelids. The girl shot up, peeling her eyes open upon hearing heavy footsteps. Two men walked in.  
Instantly, Maggie’s heart was up her throat, beating so loudly she might belch a heart beat or two. Of course, she kept her face stoic as best she could, as MacCready hadn’t shown any emotion yet, so neither should she. “Should we take this outside?” Mac smirked from under his cap, sending a sly look to Maggie, silently telling her to be prepared for anything.  
“Can’t say I’m surprised to find you both in a dump like this.” Winlock responded, coming to a stop in front of MacCready whilst Barnes stood a little behind.  
“We were wondering how long it would take your bloodhounds to track us down, Winlock.” Maggie snarked, “It’s been almost three months, don’t tell me you’re getting rusty.”  
“Should we take this outside?” Mac repeated himself.  
“It ain’t like that. I’m just here to deliver a message.” Winlock shook his head, trying to appear intimidating.  
“In case you forgot, we left the Gunners for good.”  
“Yeah, we heard. But you’re still taking jobs in the Commonwealth. That isn’t going to work for us.”  
“I don’t take orders from you. . . not anymore. So why don’t you take your girlfriend and walk out of here while you still can.” MacCready stood, a condescending tone in his voice.  
“What?! Winlock, tell me we don’t have to listen to this shit. . .” Barnes spat.  
“Listen up, MacCready. The only reason we haven’t filled you and your girl’s bodies full of bullets is that we don’t want a war with Goodneighbour. See, we respect other people’s boundaries. . . we know how to play the game. It’s something you never learned.”  
“Glad to have disappointed you.” A smirk fell upon MacCready’s face as he spoke, looking back to see the same had happened to Maggie.  
“You can play the tough guy all you want. But if we hear you’re still operating inside Gunner territory, all bets are off. You got that?”  
Maggie rolled her eyes; “You finished?”  
“Yeah,” Winlock replied, “we’re finished. Come on, Barnes.”  
As the two men stalked out of the room, Maggie could feel her muscles slowly relaxing slightly. Her grip on the knife under her duster loosened and she swiped a bottle of wine from a nearby table. “Well, that went well. You know, we’ll have to take care of them eventually. We’re not making very many caps with them breathing down our necks. How will we take care of Dun-“  
She trailed off upon seeing a woman walking in, swallowing the name she’d been about to say in front of this stranger.  
MacCready sighed, “Look, lady. If you’re preaching about the Atom, or looking for a friend, you’ve got the wrong guys. If you need a hired gun. . . then maybe we can talk.”  
Then, the woman asked about Winlock and Barnes and Maggie thought it best to just focus on getting herself ready to go again. She didn’t need to know how long they’d be gone, or where they were going. All she knew was that they would be leaving soon, if she knew anything by the look in the woman’s eye. “I’m gonna go say bye to John.” She mumbled and shouldered her pack, earning a nod from MacCready. “Meet at the gate.” She said, then without another word, left to say her farewells again.  
Just on her way up to Hancock’s place, she found herself saying goodbye to the majority of Goodneighbour. She’d never admit it, but the place had grown on her in the short time she and MacCready had resided there. She’d let her guard down a little, met a few people she’d actually miss on the road. Magnolia waved and sang a few verses of her favorite song for her, Whitechapel Charlie snuck a mini bottle of whiskey in her pack for the road. Ham gave her a quick hug, made her promise to return in one piece. Fahrenheit even grunted in response to her goodbye.  
She knew Hancock was riding out a high again but left him a little note and took a mental note to grab more Addictol on the road.  
Saying goodbye to Daisy was the hardest by far. Maggie had become attached to the ghoul, taking a liking to the raspy voice and sweet disposition. Daisy was a friend for sure, especially since she was the one that helped MacCready get caps and supplies back to Duncan. “Hey sugar, hittin’ the road again?” Daisy greeted her, warm as always.  
“Yeah, just wanted to drop off some more caps before Mac drags me off. Some woman this time, she probably just wants a quick shooter in case she comes across a few raiders out there.” Maggie dumped a small sack of caps onto Daisy’s counter, sliding it across.  
“You got it.” Daisy took the small sack, pulling it out of view of Maggie.  
At that exact moment, MacCready and their new employer appeared from around the corner. Maggie waved and quickly went after them, being handed a rifle by MacCready.  
Daisy wondered if they’d finally come back hand in hand or if they’d keep up the platonic charade.


	3. Chapter two | Daily life in the vault

It was a normal day in the Vault 75. Maggie woke up with a startle, her body starting the day at precisely 7:15 AM with a jolt of adrenaline. She panted, gasping for air as she pushed back her hair, which was due for a trim soon. Her body began going through the routine on its own accord, which brought her to the bathrooms first. She showered and brushed her teeth, then made her way to the mess hall, where a friend of hers was there, waiting. Emery waved at Margaret, showing a vibrant, white smile as she silently urged her friend to move faster so they could begin breakfast. Margaret, as usual, was one of the first up, along with Emery.   
Emery was a year older and had a glow about her. The two girls were very close since first entering the vault, nearly six years ago. Emery was a pale girl, unlike Margaret, whom had Hispanic blood running through her veins. Formally named Emery Briggs, she was a bright girl with deep brown eyes and a plain face. For whatever reason, though--maybe it was the proximity of age--Margaret was drawn to her. They were very similar in many ways, but Emery was a little more on the social side. Not to say Margaret was a loner, but she was a little picky with her companions. Emery was the sister Maggie never had. They did everything together, which included their schooling, physical training (that was mandatory of all vault dwellers), and all free time was spent together.   
Today, they had class. Unlike the pre-war institutions, this class was small, with only a handful of children of varying ages. It wasn’t a structured class, with several subjects, rather it was only small lessons on the “topside land.” That’s what the children had called the now apocalyptic wasteland above them. The teacher and other Vault-Tec members had adopted the name as well, and it was used throughout the vault.   
Their teacher, Miss June, was reciting a story this time, about the dangers that lurked above their heads. Among the long list was creatures such as mirelurks, radroaches, and yaoi gui’s. It all sounded terrifying, until Miss June reminded the children that they were all safe from harm within the vault.   
Halfway through the lesson, Margaret’s name was called, and she left the room quickly, as per normal for her now. She followed an adult to the training room, where she was handed two handguns. Another adult came by and secured a double holster to her waist, and then she was nodded through the door and into the set-up environment.   
In this false environment, Margaret was put to the test, having to use different aspects of her physical training; strength, endurance, agility, and so on. The young girl had to shoot targets, avoid turrets, and use the things around her to survive within the span of an hour.   
With her mother and father gone, Margaret had been at a very impressionable age, and was morphed into something for Vault-Tec, very quickly too. She was now an impressive little soldier. With injections monthly, of multiple chemicals, and her daily physical training, and her school work, she was a fantastic test subject. The perfect little weapon.  
It was so unfortunate that she would never be used for Vault-Tec’s master plan after all.


	4. Chapter three | Sanctuary hills

Maggie thought she’d heard of the end of the Minutemen, but apparently, they were very much alive. If their base in Sanctuary Hills said anything, anyways. People were bustling about; gardening and fixing houses up, some even appeared to be making trades for resources with a caravan. She could see how Nora had visibly relaxed upon passing over the bridge and knew that wouldn’t be possible for herself here.  
Too many people, a vault was just up the hill, and this place didn’t have nearly enough safety precautions for her liking. Sure, there were guards posted here and there, but their laser muskets didn’t look up to shape. Not to mention she was just the hired gun. She’d be the first one at the end of their barrels.   
With that thought in mind, she kept her own rifle close to her chest, ready to aim at a moment’s notice.   
As the three made their way down the winding road that once was a part of per-war suburbia, Maggie took note of all exits and weak spots in the area. A chain was only as strong as the weakest link, after all.   
They met up in a house at the end of the lane, which was filled with what Maggie assumed was community members. A dark-skinned man was seated at a desk in the corner, covered in papers and writing utensils. He’d removed his hat and was now rubbing his head with an exasperated sigh. “Preston, these are our hired guns. They’re going to help us rebuild the Minutemen.”


End file.
